Looking to use the January transfer window to seal promotion to the Premier League, the 49ers are now reportedly tracking a Championship defender who has already shocked Leeds United this season.
Leeds transfer news
The January transfer window can quickly prove to be make or break for any side. It can commence a stunning resurgence or derail a season entirely. For Leeds, it could certainly be an interesting month. The likes of Pascal Struijk have already been linked with a winter departure to the Premier League in what would be a repeat of the summer departures of Georginio Rutter, Crysencio Summerville and Archie Gray.
Keeping hold of their central defender will prove to be imperative to their promotion charge, but those at Elland Road will be well aware of just how powerful the lure of the Premier League is to players in the Championship.
On the incomings front, meanwhile, names such as James McAtee have been threatening to steal the headlines. The Manchester City youngster struggled for game time in the first half of the campaign, even as the Premier League champions endured a run of one victory in 13 games. Now, he could reportedly look to leave The Etihad.
The midfielder isn’t the only one who has caught the eye, however. According to Charlie Gordon of The Express, Leeds and the 49ers are now tracking Japhet Tanganga alongside interest from Wolverhampton Wanderers this month.
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Whilst Millwall are reportedly unlikely to entertain January offers, Tanganga’s agreement with the Lions that they must at least consider Premier League offers, certainly makes things interesting. Leeds, of course, may well be able to offer a route into the top flight by the time that May arrives.
The former Tottenham Hotspur defender needs no introduction to Daniel Farke either, having scored the winning goal in Millwall’s 1-0 victory over Leeds earlier this season.
Whether that audition was good enough to earn more than just the interest of those at Elland Road remains to be seen though.
"Excellent" Tanganga is "Premier League player"
Although things haven’t quite gone to plan for Tanganga in recent years, former Millwall manager Neil Harris was quick to admit that the defender is top flight quality earlier this season, telling reporters as relayed by Tribal Football: “I get on brilliantly with Japh.
“I just promised him rhythm, games, doing the best we can to keep him fit and giving him a platform to enjoy his football, and to restart and kickstart his career again, because he’s a Premier League player all day long, we all know that.
“We want him on the pitch every week and he knows his place in the team. I know what he’s excellent at, which is pretty much everything.”
With that said, if Leeds have their sights set on promotion then welcoming a player of such quality would certainly be quite the coup this month, especially if they beat the likes of Wolves to Tanganga’s signature.